Joe's Book Cafe 2016 Door 20

-This will be a picture of extraordinary beauty

-This will be a picture of impish delight

-This picture will raise important questions

-This little picture cried wee wee wee all the way home

Welcome back to the café!

This will be a list of books read in 2016.

113. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
114. Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
115. Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
116. How the Marquis Got His Coat Back by Neil Gaiman
117. Disasterology by Maggie Smith
118. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
119. The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins
120. The Bookseller by Mark Pryor
121. Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman
122. An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
123. The Crypt Thief by Mark Pryor
124. Zen City by Gregoire Hervier

This will be a list of groovy graphic novels read in 2016.

56. Jessica Jones Alias Vol. 2 by Brian M. Bendis
57. The New York Four by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly
58. Rivers of London Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch

This will be a list of Top 5 best reads for each quarter in 2016, followed by a list of Top Graphic Novels for the year so far.

This will be one of those darn Joe poems that keep popping up.

This will be a gratuitous posting of street art, or maybe a painting of someone reading somewhere.

After this one, you're free to post.

Happy new thread Joe, I'll come back later to see what marvellous pictures you found for the top :-)

I took a peak around door 19 Joe, OK... I'll close my eyes to the bacon (despite the fact that many non-meat eaters still like the smell of it cooking).

Loved the long and the short poems, and that picture at >160 Whisper1:.

I shall try and keep up..

Good morning here from the beautiful northwest corner of USA, on the pacific side 🤓 Your trip seems to be delightful and I can see your good planning is serving your well!

Haha! Happy new thread, Joe! The London location of Joe's Book Café seems to be a bare bones replica of the original establishment in Chicago, but I'm sure that it will be just as popular and as well stocked.

>6 FAMeulstee:. Thanks, Anita. Glad you found the new one! Come back around Sept. 26 when I can do visuals again.

Actually, I'm tempted to leave it like this, and let us all imagine what might be posted there. :-)

>7 Caroline_McElwee:. So great to have a chance to see you again, Caroline. Glad you loved the poems and >160 Whisper1:.

What a play last night! As Debbi said, what a blessing to see two of the best actors out there together on stage.

You're lucky to be able to see so many great ones on a regular basis. Thanks for telling us about Alan Rickman on stage. We'll look for the movie you mentioned.

No worries about keeping up. We're one chatty group, aren't we? Lots of people have trouble keeping up. If you can stop by once in a while, that would be great.

>8 maggie1944:. Good morning, Karen! You know we love your beautiful northwest corner of the USA.

Credit for the good travel planning should go mostly to the esteemed Debbi. We work together on the decisions, but she's the driving force in making it all happen.

Today is the South Bank of the Thames, leaving soon.

>9 kidzdoc:. Ha! Hiya, Darryl.

Until later in the month, this will have to be a "use your imagination" thread. Of course, guest visuals are always welcome.

So glad you and Caroline could join us last night. Great meal at Mildred's, and what an unforgettable time at the theater. We've been talking about it a lot this morning.

Enjoy the day!

Happy new thread, Joe!

>11 jnwelch: I'm very happy that Caroline and I were able to get tickets for No Man's Land, and that you & Debbi got to dine at Mildred's.

Rachael just now sent me a text, so I'll meet up with her later this afternoon.

Happy New Thread, Joe! Love those stunning toppers, especially the impish one.

It looks like you are enjoying some very fine theater...once again. No Man's Land looks incredible, as did The Entertainer. No half-measures with you guys.

Happy new thread, Joe. Lovely toppers, in my imagination. ;-)

>12 scaifea:. Thanks, Amber! Kudos again for that amazing Sorting Hat you made for Charlie's HP party.

>13 kidzdoc:. Me, too, Darryl. Some day we'll meet Rachel - maybe we can all get together at London Review Bookshop?

Enjoy your walk Thames-side. Will lookout for the booklist! If you liked Pain Quotidian the other night, they have one up the side of The Festival Hall.

>14 msf59:. Thanks, Mark. That impish one is a good one, isn't it? :-)

Branagh, Patrick Stewart, McKellen. We feel lucky all right. Tomorrow is a comedy called How the Other Half Loves.

>15 DianaNL:. Ha! Glad to hear it, Diana. IMO, your imagination definitely has some of the best toppers. 😎

>17 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. The Tate Britain may be part of it, along with South Bank book market.

>16 jnwelch: We're going to meet for tea and sweets at the London Review Cake Shop at 3. We had talked about getting together next Thursday as well. Rachael works from the home office in London on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so those are the best days to catch her in the capital.

...and this will be my Happy New Thread greetings to you, Joe! Your night at the theatre sounds incredible! Have a love stroll along the Thames, hope you have outstanding weather!

Happy new thread!

I remembered that the Rickman film he played the cuckolded husband was 'Close My Eyes' not 'Closer'. Senior moment!

Good morning and happy new thread Joe! I look forward to what you choose for the topper.

So, tell me about Louise Penny. I see a lot of LTers reading her, but I'm not sure its for me. I picked up The Beautiful Mystery on audio, but I don't know if the time is right. What do you like about her books/character?

Hey Joe - happy new thread.

(Glad someone else asked about Penny btw)

I heard on the grapevine the thread is a little light on the visual refreshments, so I thought I'd park up and help out. Anyone for something cool? (Or is it just warm here 'up North'?)

>20 kidzdoc:. Thanks, Darryl. Maybe next Thursday will work out.

>21 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda!

We had a beautiful day of it. We took a boat trip on the Thames to the Tate Britain museum. There was a lovely dance performance going on in the museum's central open spaces when we got there. The David Hockney and Henry Moore collections were highlights for us.

Then we walked back along the river, first by the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. There's a wonderful Rodin sculpture there, The Burghers of Calais. More adventures ensued from there.

>25 charl08: Yes, please! I haven't had a Pimms cup on this trip yet. Must change that.

>26 jnwelch: Sounds good, Joe. I very selfishly didn't want to share Rachael with anyone today, so that we could catch up, which we didn't do on Saturday despite the many hours we spent with Fliss. We're all caught up, so you and Debbi are welcome to join us. :-)

>22 drneutron:. Thanks, Jim!

>23 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. And the other movie you mentioned was Truly, Madly, Deeply, right?

>24 brodiew2: Hiya, Brodie. Hmm. Maybe others can chime in on the Louise Penny/Chief Inspector Gamache books.

First, don't start with A Beautiful Mystery, start with Still Life. This series is one you want to read in order.

What stands out for me is Gamache's kindness and wisdom, which causes many to underestimate him and try to bully or run over him. He's a man of high integrity and ethics, and his relationship with his wife Reine-Marie is a beaut.

Three Pines is an idyllic village somewhere near Montreal, but not listed on any map. Cell phones, etc. don't work there. All the villagers, like Ruth the famous but reclusive and foul-mouthed poet, Clare the talented artist, and Clara the bookstore owner, are well-drawn, and become the reader's friends as well as Gamache's as the series develops.

For me, the mysteries sometimes have improbable elements to them, but I end up not giving a hoot.

Her writing style is like an easy to canoe river; you just get pulled right along and the scenery is often stunning. She also likes to look deep into moral dilemmas and hearts that have turned corrupt and evil.

She's not for everyone (how many authors are?), but you should know pretty quickly whether her books work for you.

>25 charl08:. Hi, Charlotte. Love the Pimms-mobile! 👏 Yes, it's been hot, and cool refreshment hits the spot.

>28 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe. Sometimes I have to go with what is on the shelf, especially if I am doing a grab bag to see what hits the target. I really appreciate you giving your impression of this author. Your description of Three Pines sounds lovely and like something I would enjoy. I will try Still Life soon.

HNT, Joe-sey, my yout.

>18 jnwelch: >13 kidzdoc: oh good grief. do stop spoutin' groovy for a minute, wouldja? ;-)

i'm sure you know Sir Ian got a license online to officiate at Stewart's most recent wedding but others may not. so i'm just sayin'. i wish they'd co-author a book. not a dishy book but one like Dench's Scenes from my life. in audio. narrated by either. or both. well, hell, i may not be able to get across the pond but i can dream of great things.

i hope that, like Charlie, you and Mme. get stuck on some London version of the MTA and never return . . . until, of course, you're ready.

Hi Joe! Carry On!

>28 jnwelch: yes, 'Truly,Madly, Deeply' Joe. I love the scene where he quotes part of Neruda's 'The Dead Woman' which has become a favourite poem.

>25 charl08: putting my hand up for Pimms please.

DW-TV has been telling me all about the heat in Europe. Today they ran a piece on the morning news about how the bad weather, cold spring and hot fall, is going to affect the fall grape harvest. The consensus is that prices for wine are going to rise dramatically all across Europe. Perhaps you should bring back a bottle in those voluminous bags.

Lovely new thread, Joe! I love the toppers even though I don't know the answer to any of those important questions.

At my sister's pool the other day a woman was sitting on the side reading and I, of course, had to ask what she was reading. She was reading A Fatal Grace, the second in the Louise Penny series which would be the next one for me, too. Her comments and yours above are making me want to give that a try. It's on the shelves at home.... maybe after I get through a few more of the Booker short list novels.

I hope you're still having a wonderful time over there!

>18 jnwelch: Wow. "How the Other Half Loves". That certainly jiggled the memory. I think I may have seen the original production. To this day, I will run to see anything written by Alan Ayckbourn. I picked up a book of some of his acerbic slice of life comedies in Hatchard's a few moons ago. He's a most prolific playwright and although he's not as well known on this side of the pond as Alan Bennett, he's also a British national treasure. Looking forward to your reaction!

BTW we don't have a Pimms mobile outside our house but we might as well have! Everyone who visits us in the summer (and there are many) asks for Pimms. One of the many customs my Brit husband brought to our marriage 40 years ago!

Happy New Thread Joe! Honestly, I think you should leave your thread toppers as is—for once, let your visitor imagine what you are describing, now that's different! Lol!

>1 jnwelch: lol!!! Talk about thread-setting-up-on-the-fly!!!
I await the appropriately evocative images with baited breath.

The visual refreshments truck is making me thirsty for a lager topped with ginger wine, one of my favourite summer drinks (and now that is it officially Spring here, I can soon indulge!)

Hey Joe! Happy New Thread! And thanks for sharing all your wonderful London adventures. One day I'll get back there...my dearly departed mother is envious in her grave of all the great plays you're experiencing. Her long-standing heart throb was Kenneth Branagh.

We're having lovely 70s weather here in the Windy City, and just to keep you up to speed, the Cubs can clinch the division Thursday. Happy travels & hope you acquire some good books.

>30 brodiew2: :-)

>31 mirrordrum: As Madame MBH says, Ellie, it is clear when you see them together that Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian are best friends. Neither of us knew that story about Sir Ian officiating at Stewart's wedding. Thanks. Like you, I'd love it if they wrote a non-dishy book together telling some stories of the friendship. Narrated by both - that's an audio I'd be sure to listen to.

If it weren't for those darn kids of ours we'd consider living here some day. We'd miss them too much for that. So we'll content ourselves with visiting here as much as possible.

>32 weird_O: Hi, Bill! Will do!

>33 Caroline_McElwee: Oh good, Caroline. Now I'll look up Neruda's "The Dead Woman". I've read a lot of his a lot of his, but I don't remember that title. I'll also look forward to hearing Rickman read part of it in the movie. Makes me think of that actor (can't remember his name) reading Auden's "Stop All the Clocks" in Four Weddings and a Funeral, which blew me away.

>34 benitastrnad: It's going to be warm again today, Benita - 84 F - and then drop 15 - 20 degrees for the rest of our stay. Can't wait! We like the cooler weather.

Those voluminous bags are getting filled with books! No room, I expect, for a bottle of wine. Sorry to hear about that effect of the unusual weather on the grape crops. I hope it's a one-timer.

>35 EBT1002: Ha! Thanks, Ellen. I'm glad you like the toppers. :-) I suspect Marlon James might have an answer or two to those important questions. I was impressed by the scope of his thinking in Seven Killings.

Did you see that Ellie finished? I congratulated her over on FB.

Yes, if you liked the first Louise Penny, give the second a try. It's a very strong series. In thinking back on it, I remembered there's one ending (further into the series) that desolated Richard D. and me and many others, but it turns out all is not what it appeared to be.

We continue to have a wonderful time! Yesterday was like a dream. We took a boat on the Thames from the Tate Modern to the Tate Britain, and saw a lot of great art at the Tate - the David Hockney and Henry Moore collections were highlights for us. Then we walked back along the river to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. There's a terrific Rodin sculpture there of the Burghers of Calais (there's a cast of it in Washington, D.C. and France, too). Then we spent time on the South Bank of the Thames, watching and listening to buskers, enjoying the fine day, and having mojitos while browsing the South Bank Book Market.

>36 NarratorLady: Hi, Anne! I hadn't realized you had a Brit husband, but much becomes clearer now. :-)

We see "How the Other Half Lives" today, so I'll report back. We like to have at least one farce or comedy on the theater schedule here, as we tend to load up on serious ones. We've got The Threepenny Opera and a new one called Imogen up ahead.

BTW, we did get to Hatchard's. It turns out Georgette Heyer is deceased, and her heroines all fictional, but I very much enjoyed poking around there. We've added it to the list of favorites, and hope to get back before we leave.

Madame MBH has become very much a Pimms fan, so your house's affinity for it would suit her well. Most recently she's become infatuated with a drink at a Chicago seafood restaurant that's half Pimms blackberry liqueur and half lemonade.

>37 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana! I feel the same way - I like the idea of everyone imagining the toppers. :-)

>38 LovingLit: Ha! Glad you're enjoying the toppers, Megan. A lager topped with ginger wine, now that's one I've never tried. I may have to try one here, if they have it, or find some ginger wine back home and jimmy something together.

>39 kac522: Thanks, Kathy! Your mum (see how British I'm getting?) would've loved Kenneth Branagh in The Entertainer. What a challenging part. I was thinking I admire his courage in taking on a part Olivier made famous.

Sounds lovely in Chi-town. We're keeping up via our house-sitting daughter (she loves it when we leave town, go figure). I'm seeing "1", for one game to clinch for the Cubs, all over the place. Could this be the year? So much in baseball can depend on luck, but it's sure looking possible.

I liked Bone Gap by Laura Ruby. I believe it's considered a YA, although it made me think of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which isn't. Finn and Petey and Roza were appealing characters. I originally got interested when an LTer described it as "strange". It is, in a way that fit for me.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153749529360718&set=pcb.1015374953...

Hmm. Copying images still isn't working, but if that link works, you can see Becca (seasonsoflove) and her furry sidekick.

>41 jnwelch: John Hannah, Joe.


The Dead Woman

If suddenly you do not exist,
if suddenly you no longer live,
I shall live on.

I do not dare,
I do not dare to write it,
if you die.

I shall live on.

For where a man has no voice,
there, my voice.

Where blacks are beaten,
I cannot be dead.
When my brothers go to prison
I shall go with them.

When victory,
not my victory,
but the great victory comes,
even though I am mute I must speak;
I shall see it come even
though I am blind.

No, forgive me.
If you no longer live,
if you, beloved, my love,
if you have died,
all the leaves will fall in my breast,
it will rain on my soul night and day,
the snow will burn my heart,
I shall walk with frost and fire and death and snow,
my feet will want to walk to where you are sleeping, but
I shall stay alive,
because above all things
you wanted me indomitable,
and, my love, because you know that I am not only a man
but all mankind.

by Pablo Neruda

Rickman speaks it in Spanish.

For Spanish language version please click here
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/46657-Pablo-Neruda-La-Muerta

Good morning, Joe! I hope you have a great one. That Stewart/Mckellan audio sounds like a fantastic idea. I know its not the same, but Leonard Nimoy and John Delancie did an audio series call Alien Voices which them narrating classic science fiction a la Wells, Verne, Conan Doyle, etc. There were two that they did where they had their iconic Star trek characters face in a verbal tete a tete. Very entertaining.

>46 jnwelch: Nah...that link isn't working for me.

Hope you are getting a chance to see some street art on your trip. I saw this one on a walk back to our hotel near Aldgate East and thought I would share it with you. Some sort of paramilitary guy with his weapon composed of advertising labels.

>47 Caroline_McElwee: (elbowing Joe aside) amazing, Caroline. maybe there's an audio in Spanish. it does make a difference.

the only piece of poetry i've heard Rickman read was in Sense and sensibility and it was, and still is, perfection. i don't remember that bit in Truly Madly Deeply. i've been missing him lately and am torn between watching him in things and avoiding watching him in things b/c i liked him so very much and i feel sad. i liked him even more after reading Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility Screenplay & Diaries, which is an absolute riot and worth every minute spent.

oh, hullo, Joe. sorry to barge in. happy day. mind how you go. :-)

>36 NarratorLady: hi Anne. hope you've crept out of the slough of despond despite Joe's peripatetics in London. what fun that you have Pimm's at home for guests. we used to have them in the City from time to time but i've never been all that crazy about Pimm's. not much of a mixed-drinks fan at all really. nice to see you.

>50 Oberon: Wonderful art. Endless indeed.

Hey there Joe.

>47 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you for the John Hannah ID, Caroline, and thank you for the (elbows Ellie aside, see >51 mirrordrum:))Neruda poem. He writes BIG, doesn't he. Like Walt Whitman's distant cousin. I remember a teacher saying there were so few good political poems, and I gave him a copy of Neruda's "I'm Explaining a Few Things" poem, http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-m-explaining-a-few-things/. He reluctantly (seemed to me) agreed that's a good one.

Is Howl a political poem?

>48 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie! I had to look up John Delancie, so they revoked my Trekkie status. Q! Okay then. That audio series and double audio character face off with Leonard Nimoy does sound like a lot of fun. I miss Leonard Nimoy.

>49 laytonwoman3rd: Ah, too bad, Linda. Thanks for letting me know. It does work for me, so maybe others will be able to connect via it. Such a great photo of the two of them.

>50 Oberon: Thanks, Erik! Love that one. A weapon composed of advertising labels - clever.

It doesn't seem right to have one of our book cafes without street art, so you've saved the day.

We have seen some street art this trip, but not as much so far as on past trips. We've talked about taking another walking tour for it - it's fun to hear knowledgeable folks talk about it, and they've taken us to spots we never would've figured out on our own.

>51 mirrordrum: *carefully removes Ellie's elbow from his ribs* Hi, Ellie! Did you notice that amazing Neruda poem? Seems like one you might like a little bit.

Rickman in Sense and Sensibility - yes. I have read that Emma Thompson diary of the filming - it has some great photos, too. She's a smartie. We were just talking about the period of time she was married to Branagh - what a shame that marriage didn't make it (so few in the entertainment industry seem to).

Always good to have Anne stop by, idn't it?

>52 charl08: Agreed re the art, Charlotte. And hey there back! :-)

>51 mirrordrum: *carefully removes Ellie's elbow from his ribs* Hi, Ellie! Did you notice that amazing Neruda poem? Seems like one you might like a little bit.

Rickman in Sense and Sensibility - yes. I have read that Emma Thompson diary of the filming - it has some great photos, too. She's a smartie. We were just talking about the period of time she was married to Branagh - what a shame that marriage didn't make it (so few in the entertainment industry seem to).

Always good to have Anne stop by, idn't it?

>52 charl08: Agreed re the art, Charlotte. And hey there back! :-)

>53 jnwelch: I love the whole arc of his work Joe. One of my favourite volumes is Odes Elemental, where he writes about the everyday. 'Owed to my socks' is one of my favourites.

>51 mirrordrum: Ellie, I'll see if there is a clip of that. Back shortly.

Don't look Joe, until you see the film!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAS8LhgYp2M

oh, hullo, Joe. i thought you were in London and yet here you are. truly, "these are the days of miracle and wonder."

>53 jnwelch: >47 Caroline_McElwee: oh lord. no wonder he was less than enthusiastic. that's brilliant. you know the story of the artificer who realized his pupil would one day exceed him and pushed him off the roof? he should have reveled in someone like you. in the poem, i assume that Federico refers to Lorca. do you know who Raul and Rafel were?

in re: Howl--you're asking the wrong person but out of my vast ignorance and almost complete incomprehension, i'd say 'yes,' e.g. "protesting the narcotic tobacco haze of Capitalism?" and all the riffs on homosexuality and all the "obscenity" (sic). i think definitions of obscenity should be political but, i dunno. that's a long conversation. eta: also, it's sexist as hell and i consider that political. it's a stance.

>57 Caroline_McElwee: >51 mirrordrum: >53 jnwelch: "the whole arc of his work." seriously, Caroline? i am green with envy.

Ode to my socks is a stunner. i can see i'll be spending some time mulling that one over. i s'pose i should put this on the AAC thread, but i'm, um, shocked? hit? winded? by the ferocity and don't understand it. as usual. thanks, Caroline, and also for the clip from T M D. Juliet Stevenson. sigh i know perfectly well that Alan had to "act" that he couldn't pronounce the words at least a bit more correctly. goodness knows the man could at least roll his rrrrrs if he wanted. ok. gotta watch it again.

jeez Joe. i'm sorry. i get stimulated by these things. PLEASE don't try to answer this. go play in London or something or i'll have to get serious with the elbows.

>1 jnwelch: That picture raised a very important question and I wish you would answer it already.

>40 jnwelch: I may be wrong, but I have a strong belief that Ian and Patrick are much more than friends. I just wish they would come out already!

Happy new thread, Joe. I don't think you will need to update the top when you are able to post pictures again because by then you will need to start another new thread! Glad you enjoyed Hatchards - LTers wouldn't steer you wrong.

>57 Caroline_McElwee: Ditto, Caroline. I'll have to track down Odes Elemental. I've read Pablo Neruda: Selected Poems (the Nathaniel Tarn translation), The Heights of Macchu Picchu, and Twenty Love Poems. "Ode to Socks" is one of my favorites, too. Ellie gives the link to it in >58 mirrordrum:.

Thank you for bringing us so much Neruda joy!

>58 mirrordrum: Ha! Thank you for the dispensation from responding, Ellie. I will say that I agree that Howl is political, and I was too dull-minded, or distracted by the pyrotechnics, to realize it's sexist. I'll re-read it with that in mind.

We promise to gyre and gimble in the wabe of London.

>59 Morphidae: Hi, Morphy! What a nice surprise to have you visit. I hope things are going well.

I know one of the answers to the important questions raised in that >1 jnwelch: topper is "42." :-)

You may be right about Patrick and Ian. I sure don't know. They do seem to be the best of chums, so if they have sex together, too, and no one is harmed by it, well, bully for them. It is hard to imagine anything more fun than playing a part on stage with your best chum, and both of you so superb at it.

>60 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Ha! I think you're right - we'll probably be onto a new thread by the time I can post some pics. I'm enjoying the speculation about what's up there.

Hatchard's was excellent - an environment with an inviting personality plus a stimulating selection. Thanks to you and others for recommending it. Daunt is another favorite, and we're trying to figure out how to fit a visit in.

Good morning, Joe! Sounds like you two are having a grand time in our favorite city. I plan to visit Daunt Books tomorrow, as I need to buy at least one guide book to Paris and start making plans for next weekend. My day is chock full today, but I'm completely free on Sunday so far.

Update on our gyring and gimbling: "How the Other Half Lives" was a hoot. Nicholas Le Provost was particularly good as the somewhat befuddled but well-intentioned Frank.

Yesterday's highlight was a two hour guided tour of the humongous Victoria and Albert Museum. (Jeez, did Victoria love Albert. Take a look some time at the memorial to him in Kensington Gardens). This museum leans more toward the decorative arts. Those on FB can see the 1527 masted schooner salt cellar (!), and Madame MBH's photos. Among many other things, it has some terrific tapestries, and Raphael cartoons for tapestries. It is such a wildly varied collection, that I'm sure everyone who visits has their own favorites.

We went to our neighborhood pub, The Well, for dinner, and Madame MBH got to have her favorite Kiwi alcoholic cider. A delicious summer ale for me (I'm not telling them it's the second half of September), and most excellent fish (haddock) and chips; roasted chicken for the Madame.

Today we're off to Spitalfield's market, a favorite of Madame MBH's, and hope to meet up with a friend later, although she has some family health issues going on that may prevent it. It's turned cool (high 50s F, 14 C right now), and that's the way we like it.

I read the Neil Gaiman story about the Marquis getting his coat back, and it was great fun to return to the world of Neverwhere. I wonder whether he'll ever place another book there. He doesn't seem to do that, but who knows. I saw he's releasing a collection of Norse myths, so I'll be snapping that up.

Right now I'm reading The Last Days of Magic and slowly making my way through the charmer An Irish Country Doctor.

>63 kidzdoc: Hey buddy! Wish we could join you for the Daunt visit. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the one day that works for our train trip to Rye. (We were going to go yesterday, but the rain turned it into a V & A day).

Looks like you're having a great time, too (no surprise). Dinner with Bianca and a play with Fliss - sounds like the good life to me. :-) I'll come over to your thread and get the lowdown.

From An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor:

"Do you like to read?"

She frowned for a moment. "I've tried Hemingway, but he's too curt. I prefer John Steinbeck."

"Cannery Row?"

"And I love Sweet Thursday."

* * *

Yes! I'm liking this book more and more. And he just quoted a Seamus Heaney poem about the sea. Alrighty then.

Joe, I like the sense of anticipation in your "this will be" opening posts. I also like that you have your own neighborhood pub in London! Well, it is a second home for you these days, right? I am enjoying it through you and Darryl. Carry on and have a great weekend!

>66 jnwelch: Don't you love it when books dovetail like this? This quote alone has me wanting to read An Irish Country Doctor.

So glad you enjoyed the Ayckbourn play. Yes, I married a Brit, but I was an Anglophile before that. He's a staunch American now of course, saddened by Brexit and appalled by Trump. What a world!

>66 jnwelch: oops, click, I tripped... An Irish Country Doctor.

>64 jnwelch: If you are interested in Norse myths, I just picked up a book today that might be up your alley. Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of the Norse Myths. One of the blurbs on the back says, "Snorri Sturluson, the thirteenth-century Icelandic chieftain who gave us Odin, Loki, and Thor, was as unruly as the Norse gods he created."

>67 Donna828: Hi, Donna. I'm glad you like the "this will be" toppers - they were born of necessity, as my attempts at image-posting with my tablet aren't working. :-) Yes, we're in a great location in Islington, and The Well pub is right by us.

London is becoming our second home these days. We sometimes find it hard to believe - there were days we had trouble finding two sheckels to rub together. And it turns out we were living in the wrong country for sheckels anyway.

We're enjoying seeing our pal Darryl here - jeez, does he know his way around the city and beyond. We're having a wonderful weekend. Yesterday we had fun walking to Spitalfield's Market, and spotted some well done street art - although one of our favorite areas for that has succumbed to a whole lot of construction. (Brexit may have brought down the pound against the dollar, to the benefit of Americans here, but the city sure is booming with construction everywhere). Madame MBH found her favorite dress seller at the market, and snared two beauts, good-looking and comfortable. We found a new café we like on the way back, and even managed to spend some time writing (she's working on a performance piece, and I'm trying to get some poems all the way to where they belong).

Today we head to Rye, a small town about an hour and a half away by trains. It sounds like a charmer. We'll report back.

Good morning, Joe! I hope that you & Debbi have a great visit to Rye today. I've not been there, so I'm eager to hear about the town.

Yesterday was as good of a day out as Friday was, which I'll summarize on my thread shortly.

I look forward to seeing "The Threepenny Opera" at the National Theatre with you, Debbi, Rhian, Alan and Genny tomorrow night? Should we meet somewhere for dinner first? We'll have to remember that today is Genny's birthday, and wish her well. (Have you two met her before?)

>68 NarratorLady: Hi, Anne. Yes, I love it when a book I'm enjoying dovetails with other favorites, like Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday. It reminds me of Among Others, in which so many favorite sci-fi-ers of my youth are mentioned.

Yes, I believe you'll love An Irish Country Doctor. Hard not to, but it also fits your reading tastes well, methinks.

I've been an Anglophile for forever, too, as you can probably tell. No one we talk to here is happy about Brexit. Or Trump, for that matter. Have we wandered into the innards of a bad novel?

>69 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! Oh good, Caroline. Once you have a chance to pick yourself up, you'll be glad you tripped over An Irish Country Doctor. Young Barry Laverty and experienced, unpredictable Fingal O'Reilly make for quite a pair of doctors in Ballybucklebo, and the storytelling is irresistible. I've got my fingers crossed that some relationships work out okay in the end.

I forgot to mention that Fliss saw the current production of The Threepenny Opera at the NT earlier this year, and she thought it was excellent. We should be in for a treat.

>70 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I love the name Snorri Sturluson! Might be a good one for a bulldog?

I'm mainly interested in all things Neil Gaiman, but he may kindle a larger interest in the Norse Myths with this new one. I'll look forward to hearing more about your reading journey in Song of the Vikings.

>72 kidzdoc: Good morning, Darryl!

We're getting organized to get to St. Pancras for our train to Ashford and then the train to Rye, and will report back.

We haven't met Genny or Rhian or Alan, so this will be a new pleasure for us. Yes, let's do dinner together somewhere before The Threepenny Opera. Looking forward to it!

Have a great Sunday, buddy. Wish we could be there with you at Daunt.

>74 kidzdoc: Ah, good to hear Fliss's reaction to The Threepenny Opera. I'm sure this is going to be memorable.

http://www.pbs.org/video/2365121337/

This link may not work because of where we are, but PBS apparently is broadcasting that Hugh Jackman "Oklahoma" play we were recently talking about. Great performances, and well worth watching if you can.

>62 jnwelch: Agreed. Ian and Patrick are awesome pals.

Happy New Thread, Joe! Wonderful to see that you are enjoying An Irish Country Doctor. Great reading while on holiday! My sister and husband are also in London right now. I'm afraid to fly, so I have to live life vicariously through my family! :) They are currently up in Cambridge, but will hit London on Tuesday for 5 days before returning home. My mom tells me that they have rented a car for 2 days and find driving on the " other " side of the road very challenging . I can imagine!

Tatiana Maslany won the Emmy for her acting in Orphan Black! We're so pleased. The work she does playing multiple characters in that show is AMAZING. So well-deserved. She must be on Cloud Nine.

Regulars here probably remember that our niece Amy Landecker is in the cast of the tv show Transparent, which won the Emmy its first season. She still hasn't been nominated, darn it, but Jeffrey Tambor from the show won again, as did Jill Soloway for best director. Go Transparent!

>77 Morphidae: :-) Continuing to smile, seeing you back posting, Morphy. Great to see you back posting!

>78 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb!

Yes, I'm in the home stretch of An Irish Country Doctor, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. You're right, great on holiday reading.

Ah, what a shame about the fear of flying. Madame MBH and I have Cambridge on our to-go list, maybe next year. Ah, they're brave to do the opposite side of the road driving. Challenging indeed. Not something the Welches want to do. Plus the trains and buses here are so well-organized.

The Last Days of Magic was okay, but for me a bit disappointing overall. It's gotten a lot of positive buzz as a new epic fantasy, and I was hoping to enjoy it more. Intriguing world of overlapping magical "tribes", with Sidhes, Celts, witches, druids, etc. The Vatican Church and others want to defeat the last stronghold of magic in Ireland. Three out of five stars for me.

Nearing the end of the charming An Irish Country Doctor, and I've started The Bookseller by Mark Pryor. The latter is a thriller that starts the series featuring ex-FBI Hugo Marston, and was recommended by Roberta. If you're interested in it, she also tipped us all off that it's selling for $2.99 on Kindle.

>80 jnwelch: My husband and his mother have both read all of the Patrick Taylor "Irish" series books, and loved them. You have a lot to look forward to, apparently!

Morning, Joe! Well, it's morning here anyway. I am eagerly following all of your adventures - sounds like an excellent trip. I have pre-ordered the Gaiman Norse mythology, as I adore anything he does, and thanks for the tip about The Bookseller. Carry on!

>79 jnwelch: Jeffrey Tambour is one day older than I am. Another day, another useless fact.

>79 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I just found Orphan Black and have been binge watching every night until the early hours! Just finished season 3. She's amazing playing so many parts and so well!

All caught up again, Joe, not that it will last, especially since you post from all points of the globe. If we hadn't been tearing around ourselves, I'd really envy your current trip. Maybe next year - I know Jim would love to go back.

>71 jnwelch: i was rather hoping for a photo of you reading to Rye. :-)

>79 jnwelch: we were very excited about Sarah Paulson. we fell in love with her in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip when she did a Holly Hunter imitation that was for to die. oh, and Sterling Brown who is shamelessly gorgeous, a fine actor and loves Sarah Paulson.

glad your Rye trip was lovely. do you know, does anyone, whether Burns' "comin' through the rye" refers to a river or the grain? the internet is equivocal.

miss you and glad you're where you are so we can be missing you.

keep on truckin'. :-)

Hi, Joe! It looks like everyone is enjoying following you around on your adventures. Glad to see you squeezing in some reading too. I have had An Irish Country Doctor on my WL, since joining LT, I might have to land a copy.

Keep having a blast, my friend.

A bell jingled quietly as he walked in, and as the door closed the familiar and distinctive aroma of once-loved books swept over him, the musty smell of paper and dust like incense, a welcoming cloud of calm and serenity.

From The Bookseller by Mark Pryor

After finishing the delightful An Irish Country Doctor, I'm enjoying The Bookseller, recommended by Roberta. It features the bouquinistes, the booksellers that sell from their "boxes" along the Seine in Paris. (In the quote, he's entering an antiquarian bookshop he's learned of from a card in a book he bought from a bouquiniste.

We had a grand time in the town of Rye, and I'll post some photos when we get back. Last night we met up with Darryl and Rhian (SandDune), and Rhian's husband Alan, at the restaurant Strada near Waterloo bridge. Then we all went to the bizarre and memorable "Threepenny Opera" at the National Theater, starring Rory Kinnear among a very talented cast. This clever adaptation is set in "Londontown", and has sometimes spectacular, always changing sets. It must have been a shocker in 1928 and, truth be told, it's a shocker in 2016. Even the characters in A Brief History of Seven Killings would've blushed at some of the language; the sexuality is brazen and often transactional; and the knowing relationship with the audience feels very modern day. We were agog, I tell you, agog.

*lurk*

>81 laytonwoman3rd: An Irish Country Doctor was charming, Linda. I knew there were more, and it's encouraging to hear that your hubby and his mum loved the follow-ups, too. I'll be revisiting Barry and Fingal and Patricia and Kinky and all the others.

>82 Crazymamie: Good morning, Mamie! It's morning here, too. :-) It's been an excellent trip. We decided to take it easy today, after many adventures and a ton of walking. Yesterday we did a fascinating two hour guided walking tour of "Darker Victorian London". We were in the Borough, across London Bridge, and the tales of life among the poor in that era (1837 - 1901) were heart-wrenching and sometimes stomach-wrenching, too. It made us think of the Tenement Museum in Manhattan, except that the desperate life for immigrants in Chelsea in Manhattan., with extended families crushed into tiny apartments, improbably would've been an improvement over life in Darker Victorian London.

As much as I love Gaiman, I may wait on the Norse mythology book, as I seem to have accumulated a large stock of reading here to join the large stock of reading waiting on the TBR shelves back home!

>83 weird_O: One of my best friends is one day younger than I am, Bill. Your useless Jeffrey Tambour story at least beats that one. What a remarkable job of acting JT does on Transparent. I've always thought he was good, but he's way beyond that as the cast leader in this one.

>84 Dianekeenoy: Hooray! Isn't Orphan Black a knockout, Diane? Tatiana Maslany - so great. Madame MBH caught herself thinking about how excited "Helena" would be about Tatiana's win, and then realizing Helena is a character played by Tatiana. I thought it would be a brilliant promotion to have a video showing each of her characters (I think she's up to around a dozen now) congratulating Tatiana for the Emmy win.

Glad you're enjoying it! We can't wait to start the new season.

>85 ffortsa: You are in Alaska now, right, Judy? I'm sure you're having a wonderful time yourownself. They sometimes call London "Little Anchorage". Right, Joe. Total nonsense. We do hope to go to Alaska some day, but we sure do enjoy our time in London. This is our third September visit in a row, and we plan to do more.

>86 mirrordrum: Hiya, Ellie! I did read some on the train and the bus to and from Rye. They were working on the rails, so our trip there and back became longer and more complicated, with a long shuttle bus ride thrown in. Really worth it, though. I'm glad you can see the photos on Facebook.

Is there any chance Burns' "comin' through the rye" refers to whisky? :-)

I miss you and the rest of our reading gang. Thank goodness technology allows us to stay in touch, right? If it makes you feel any better, the lovely Becca is having a grand time house-sitting and congregating there with her friends. She likely misses us a bit, but I don't hear her pining for our return.

P.S. I'm glad the Sarah Paulson Emmy win made you happy. I couldn't watch the People v. OJ (too awful and aggravating), but I'll look for her in other things.

>87 msf59: Thanks, Mark! We will continue with the blast-having.

We decided to make today a slow one, with a neighborhood breakfast and some errand-running and nearby sight-seeing. Tonight we're meeting up with our niece and her Dutch husband, who were visiting his family in Holland. Dinner's at a veggie restaurant called The Gate, which is supposed to be mighty good. This city is quite hospitable to vegetarians; we ate at another excellent veggie restaurant called Mildred's with Darryl and Caroline, before seeing No Man's Land.

Yes, give An Irish Country Doctor a go when you can. It's a wee bit of a vacation all by itself.

>79 jnwelch: I'm also a fan of Orphan Black. I'm about to plunge into season 4 and very much looking forward to it. The other show I've been really enjoying is Suits, I finally got caught up and am now eagerly awaiting the last 6 episodes of season 6.

If you like comedy try Bluestone 42. It's about a British bomb disposal detachment in Afghanistan. Rather fun like a poor man's Mash.

>89 katiekrug: Thank you for briefly de-cloaking your ship, Katie. "'Iwllj jachjaj". From a nerd website, I understand that means Cheers! and Good Health! Of course, them Klingons are a rough bunch, so the literal translation is "May your blood scream!" Jeez, now that I think about it, I'm surprised they didn't add a Klingon to the cast of the Threepenny Opera.

Good morning, Joe! We were sorry that we couldn't meet up with you and Debbi during intermission or find you after the performance. I foolishly forgot to bring my portable charger, and my mobile phone's battery died at the end of the play. Genny, Rhian and her husband all expressed regrets that they couldn't stay longer to meet up with you two, but they all had to catch late trains back home (especially Genny, who lives in Birmingham and probably arrived after 1 am).

What a bawdy and irreverent romp that was! I look forward to talking with you two about it tomorrow night. I'll probably have dinner with Claire after we see the afternoon matinee of Yerma at the Young Vic, so I'll see you two at Shakespeare's Globe.

>94 avatiakh: Oh good, Kerry. It's great to have fellow appreciators of Orphan Black. I'm always trying to convince folks to give it a try.

Suits I don't know. We try not to overdo TV because, well, books. But there sure are a lot of good shows these days. We're charmed by Lucifer, too.

Bluestone 42 = rather fun like a poor man's Mash? I'll have to alert my winsome bride. She was devoted to Mash.

>96 kidzdoc: Good morning, Darryl! Thanks for trying. We couldn't figure out where your seats were at the Threepenny Opera. Things got a little screwy with Alan's late arrival and then Genny's. I actually had a devil of a time finding Debbi at the Olivier stalls - the phones weren't working well inside the National.

Wow, I hadn't realized Genny had come so far. As she says, next time.

We were both saying how we can't wait to talk to you about the play. A bawdy and irreverent romp indeed. I couldn't believe how modern it felt.

We have done two plays in a day, but I'm impressed your doing it with so many other adventures already under your belt. Have fun at Yerma, and please give Claire our best. We were hoping to see more of her this trip, but that'll have to be another "next time" I guess.

>98 jnwelch: We were in the front row of the Circle, the balcony section of the Olivier Theatre overlooking the Stalls. I tried looking for you and Debbi before the play started and during the intermission, but I couldn't find you two. Genny was struggling to walk, hobbled by plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, so I accompanied her to Waterloo station, and Rhian & Alan walked across the Thames to Embankment station from the NT.

The language and sexuality did take some getting used to! It was an adaptation of Brecht's play by Simon Stephens, and I'm all but completely certain that the R rated language wasn't in the original version. I bought the script from the National Theatre Bookshop, so I'll look at it later today or tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be an intense day, similar to Friday and Saturday, so I won't do much today before I head to Daunt Books this afternoon and have dinner with Claire afterward.

>99 kidzdoc: We thought you were probably right above us, Darryl, meaning we couldn't see each other due to the overhang.

I wondered about the adaptation. Looking forward to what your research yields.

Time to tuck into some breakfast at a neighborhood spot we should show you some time.

My goodness, you guys (all of you) are all over London, aren't you! What a delightful vacation.... or will you be "taking a vacation" when you get home, sweet home? I'm tired just reading of all the sights and sounds you are taking in, and the walking, and the eating at so many good restaurants. Wow! A modernized adaption of Three Penny Opera sounds amazing, even with the rowdy language and blushing audience.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to get a quick professional portrait done of Greta Garbo and myself for a "pictorial" booklet for Silver Glen. It was fun to have a formal picture of us to give to people at Christmas time. More good times at Silver Glen. We are now "bracing for autumn and winter" and I can only hope it provides some excellent reading time for me. I'm thinking I need to pick a time to leave my apt. with book in hand, go to our little library, and make myself stay there for a certain amount of time every day. Maybe that will work.

>97 jnwelch: I've just started using a free subscription to Lightbox, it's a Netflix lite, just tv series, so I've overindulged for a bit while catching up on some favourite shows.
I just started watching Killjoys which is described as a mix of Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Orphan Black. Sounds great but so far it feels like Firefly without the humour but with a touch of violence.

I'm currently a total fangirl for Suits - really love all the characters, the script etc etc. Definitely give it a try if it comes your way.

Anyway sounds like you are having a great time in London. When I lived there I tried to get to see a play or musical every week.

>101 maggie1944:. Hiya, Karen. We love it here in London, can you tell?

This is an "easy" day, so right now we're in a favorite quiet cafe in St. Bartholomew's church, (St. Bartholomew the Great Church") on Cloth Fair, in a room of gray stone walls and lovely arched/ribbed gray stone ceiling - they converted a cloister while retaining the rest of the church. I remember them telling us parts of several movies have been filmed in the church and its yard.

That production of the Threepenny Opera was aggressive and riveting. Darryl posted a trailer for it on FB which will give you an idea if you can find it.

Oh, how great that you got a professional photo of you and Greta Garbo. Silver Glen seems like such a positive place to live. Any chance you'll post the photo?

A comfortable library nearby sounds like an excellent place to spend some time reading.

>102 avatiakh:. I wondered about Killjoys. Lack of humor probably disqualifies it for me, Kerri. We'll look for Suits.

A play or musical every week? Now we're talking! It's a great theater town, isn't it.

Joe, I did buy a CD of the various pictures they took, not just the ones we choose to be published in the Pictoria, or the ones I choose to print for gifts. I may be able to download the pictures to my own photo collection, and perhaps publish one here. I think I do sign a "copyright" of some sort or other, but if they really don't want them "published", why do they sell us CDs with the photos on them? We'll see.

It is a pretty cute photograph, and push comes to shove I can always take a picture of the picture....

>105 maggie1944:. It would be crazy not to give you at least a limited legal right to make non-commercial use of the photos. Plus you'd be promoting the photographer's work for free, seems to me.

Sometimes businesses overly complicate life, don't they. They need to be asking, where's the harm, instead of overreacting based on factually unsupported fears.

you should be headed for bed right around in through here, Joe, so i'll just give you a shout out and wish you a tomorrow, your today, of frabjous gyres and gimbals round the town.

>103 jnwelch: "I remember them telling us parts of several movies have been filmed in the church and its yard." vague much? oh do take notes or something, luv.

I've really enjoyed reading of the travels and exploits of the 75ers in London! Carry on and enjoy the remainder of you vacation and keep posting the pics, they're great!

>103 jnwelch: They filmed the Muppets there! :-) Looks like a lovely place to visit. Glad you're having a good trip.


http://www.greatstbarts.com/Pages/Church/films.html

>107 mirrordrum: Hiya, Ellie. Frabjous gyring and gimbaling is on the agenda for today. We had a lovely time last night with our niece Meg and her hubby Jeroen (Dutch), who arrived from Holland. Veggie restaurant The Gate was excellent (grilled halloumi starter, aubergine teriyaki main dish and sticky toffee pudding dessert for me). They're such good folks - Meg looks enough like our Becca to be her sister.

OK, I get your subtle comment about the church movies. My memory sometimes has a church-sized hole or two, okay? Jeesh. We looked it up, and a bunch have filmed at St. Bart's, including Four Weddings and a Funeral and Shakespeare in Love. The oddest: Avengers: the Age of Ultron. Probably something huge smashes the church in CGI?

>108 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda. I wish I could do better here with the pics, but I'll get some up here once we get home. I'm glad you're enjoying the adventures - we sure are!

Today we're taking a long hike to Marylebone street and Daunt Bookshop (we may take the tube back), hoping to find a scarf or two for Madame MBH along the way. Tonight is a new play "Imogen" at the Globe with Darryl.

>109 charl08: Ha! Thanks, Charlotte. If it attracts the Muppets, you know it's good. As Madame MBH says, it's one of our favorite churches here, and London is not short on churches.

I finished the very good The Bookseller, and immediately snagged a Kindle copy of the next Hugo Marston mystery by Mark Pryor. I'm also going to start Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Zen City.

P.S. I've also been enjoying a poetry collection rec'd by Paul Cranswick, The Lost Leader. Mick Imlah is a Scottish poet with scads of talent and a lot of variety in his vision.

>110 jnwelch: I do like 'The Gate' restaurant Joe, I go there sometimes before going to Sadlers Wells.

Sadly Mick Imlah died too young. You remind me I should pull one of his books off the shelf.

I dropped The Bookseller into my Kindle. Maybe I'll start it after I finish His Bloody Project.

Glad you enjoyed Rye. Did you visit the Henry James/E F Benson House? Are there any secondhand bookshops left? It's a while since I had a holiday there, and one of the sh/bookshops was in the midst of closing (I did acquire a fair treasure trove of books before it did), I think that left two.

>112 Caroline_McElwee: Good morning, Caroline. Oh good, you can second the recommendation of The Gate that I just gave our friend Darryl. Our flat is on St. John street, only about a 15 minute walk from The Gate.

Mick Imlah is new to me; I'm sorry to hear he died young. The Lost Leader is one of the passel of books recommended to me by Paul at Joseph's Bookstore in Golders Green during the big meetup.

His Bloody Project was written by a friend of the woman who lets the flat to us here. She's thrilled, as you can imagine. I also picked up a copy, and will read it soon. Yes, give The Bookseller a go when you're in the mood for a diversion; it's very well done, and Hugo is quite the appealing character.

We did enjoy Rye. We were on the street of the Henry James house but didn't visit it. I respect his books, but I'm not his biggest fan. If Jane Austen had a house there, we'd have been in it for sure. (I've never read the Mapp and Lucia books - should I?) The bookshop we found wasn't second hand, but it was very good, and we ended up buying a few (of course). Can't remember the name, but it was on the main street not far from the church.

I have to own Joe, I've only seen the dramatisations of the Mapp and Lucia books, but they were pretty funny and full of a certain era's English eccentricity.

James interests me (as do his siblings) but I've so far only read a couple of his books.

Glad you are both having such a lovely time. It must soon be time for you both to come back to the UK :-)

>114 Caroline_McElwee:. Hmm. Maybe we'll look for the dramatization first, Caroline.

Yes, we head back on Friday. Darn it. :-(

The grilled halloumi sounds delicious. How long will you have been abroad?

Joe I am excited to see all the love for Mark Pryor around here. He is a really nice man who happens to write a great series and he has another book called Hollow Man that is honestly the best thing he has written. I was happy to hear that he is working on a sequel to it. Very different from the Hugo Marston series but still very, very good. He is actually British but his mom is American. She lives in the Pyrenees now. It's funny because he has become quite the Austinite (city, not author) with a British accent.

Warble on

>116 Morphidae: The grilled halloumi is so delicious here, Morphy. We've tried buying and grilling it in Chicago, and it's just not the same.

16 days here this time. A few more would've been nice. Maybe next year.

>117 luvamystery65:. Oh good, Roberta. I was hoping you'd see the fruit of your Mark Pryor recommendations. You are such a Series Pusher! (Or is that me?)

I love it when good authors turn out to be really nice people, too. I'll keep his non- Hugo M. Books in mind. "May the warbling be with you". (From the new Star Wars).

Hi, Joe! Love seeing all the reading and hearing all the book chatter, as you cavort across merry old England.

All is good here. Enjoying Madam Bovary and The North Water and may start Casino Royale a little later on. My first Fleming, if you an believe it.

>90 jnwelch: I like the sounds of that walking tour, Joe. Where did you find out about it?

>98 jnwelch: We had a great time on Monday night - really nice to meet you both at last. Sorry we had to rush off but we both had an early start next morning.

>120 msf59: Hiya, Mark! I'm really enjoying Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. It's great to get a simplified overview of these complicated concepts.

Good for you for taking on Madame Bovary I need to do that. The story interests me not at all but . . . it's Flaubert.

The Ian Fleming books will be an unusual experience for you, methinks. We've grown up with the movies, and the books are different.

>121 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. That Darker Victorian London tour was one of many offered by "London Walks". We've been going on their guided walking tours for a lot of years now - our kids were little when we started! They also do great ones in Paris - we particularly liked the Montmartre one. And they do day trips from London.

If you have any trouble finding their website, let me know.

>122 SandDune: Ditto, Rhian. Such a pleasure to finally meet you in person! And Alan, albeit briefly with his scheduling problems. No worries, we were just glad you could join us during a work week. What a play that was, right?

>71 jnwelch: glad your MBH snagged herself a couple of "good looking and comfortable" outfits. I can't abide by uncomfortable clothing, so, I approve wholeheartedly :)

Talking London, when my friends lived there, in a bedsit in Maida Vale, we used to make and take calls at a phone box that was outside a library, and the odd time we would go in there and soak up the atmosphere (the only other money free alternative being their bedsit...). It was square, high-ceilinged, pretty dark and quuite dusty, and ancient-feeling. It was in stark contrast to he libraries I knew from NZ. I found it interesting, and that was before I was into books too!

Yesterday was a grand day of walking (among other things, we found a number of stores from which we can furnish our purchased 3 bedroom London flat once we win the lottery), with Daunt Bookshop the highlight during the day. A favorite store of ours, but we exercised restraint, as neither of us knows how we're going to get the now 30 books home. I got an "Alligator mystery" set in northern Italy, by Massimo Carlotto (a new author for me), and Madame MBH got the final book in Elena Ferrante's quartet. She bought the first one a year ago at Daunt after a staffer recommended it (we'd been seeing the last one everywhere, and she asked the staffer why). She therefore wanted to buy the last one there, too. She has LOVED the first three.

Last night we went with Darryl to see what was a remarkable, athletic performance of "Imogen" at the Globe theater. We've seen it as Shakespeare's "Cymbaline"; here they "renamed and reclaimed it", and it certainly was riveting and energetic. (Imogen is King Cymbaline's daughter; hard to compare it with the more traditional performance of Cymbaline we saw, but certainly there was more focus on her in this one).

Darryl called it "hip-hop Shakespeare", and that fits. Cool, modern dancing, martial arts fights that had them way up in the air on hooked lines, Matrix-style, and a curtain call dance routine that had the audience hooting and hollering.

As with a number of Shakespeare plays, the plot was absurd, but wow, the language was beautiful. The whole young cast (the king and a banished soldier were the only two oldsters) was excellent, but the young woman playing Imogen, Maddy Hill, stood out. She seemed surprised and happy at the strong ovation she got.

Today, unfortunately, is "packing day", for the long journey back tomorrow. (Currently we have two flights, with a 4 hour stopover in Toronto - we're hoping we can improve that at the airport. We'll see). We're taking some of the sting out by going soon to a favorite breakfast place we haven't been to yet.

>124 LovingLit: Hiya, Megan. Yes, she loves - and looks great in - this particular dress style, and we look for the designer's booth every year. It's hard to describe Spitalfield Market - it's a bit like an art fair, with locals selling handcrafted goods - clothing, jewelry, odds and ends.

What we didn't find there were scarves, but yesterday we found some beauts for Madame MBH on the street.

Oops, time got away from me. To be continued - off to breakfast!

P.S. We're back. I'd like to spend more time in libraries here on one of these visits. We did spend rainy day time in the Garrick library by the Garrick Theatre, and that was fun.

Madame MBH and I talk about all the good times we had when we had no money. We had jobs and weren't destitute, but "free" had a powerful attraction, and there was a lot of it in Chicago.

There was a long time in my life before meeting Madame MBH when I could fit all my worldly goods in a backpack. Wow, has that changed - for the better, I must say.

>118 jnwelch: 16 days here this time. A few more would've been nice. Maybe next year.

If you go for a few days more next year it probably will feel the same ;-)
Enjoy you last day!

>127 FAMeulstee:. Ha! Truth, Anita. :-)

It's a beautiful day here, and we're giving ourselves breaks from the errands, organizing and packing. We've had a great trip. Every year we feel it's the "best ever" and, once again, that's how we feel about this one. Great meet ups with friends and relatives, great theater, great walking tours, great museums, great times wandering the streets. One of our favorites was that boat trip on the Thames to the Tate Britain, then walking back along the river by the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, and spending the rest of the day on the South Bank with the buskers, etc. and the South Bank book market.

Plus that day we got our Dinky Donuts from the truck near the National Theater, a "must-do" every visit. Fresh and crusty and delicious. Oh, and excellent mojitos from a riverside vendor right by the South Bank book market.

Mmm, doughnuts...

Safe travels home, with fingers crossed for a flight upgrade. Looking forward to the pictures of the book haul when you're back jn the land of the picture uploader... (if that's not too demanding?!)

>129 charl08: Mmm, doughnuts . . . That may need to be a café post when we get back, Charlotte.

Thanks for the safe travel and other good wishes. Yes - I posted the Foyle's book haul on Facebook, and I'll get it over here when we get back. So many good ones! I'm going to need a post-vacation vacation so I can read them all. :-)

I am enjoying following your London adventures, Joe. I love that you squeezed so many smaller moments in (like the Dinky Donuts and the mojitos from the riverside vendor) - those moments are always my favorites. Safe travels to you as you make your way back home, my friend.

>125 jnwelch: Glad you got to see a good production at the Globe.

Ah the annual pilgrimage is coming to a halt for you two lovely guys, Joe?

It was a real highlight of my trip to the UK being able to meet you all during that warm and welcoming Sunday. I am further pleased to note that Mick Imlah struck a good chord. Sadly gone so young but what a talent he was.

Safe trip back home buddy and love to Debbi.

>131 Crazymamie:. Oh good, Mamie. I'm glad you've been enjoying the Tales from Across the Pond. I love those smaller moments, too.

We're pretty much packed up and ready to go, so we're taking it easy right now. Thanks for the safe travel wishes, my friend.

>132 Oberon:. We did indeed, Erik, thanks. They managed to make a 3 hour production of a lesser Shakespeare play fly by.

>133 PaulCranswick:. Hiya, Paul!

Yes, the time to return home has finally come. Sigh. We love it at home, and it'll be great to see Becca and the furry Sherlock, but what a trip it's been.

We've been talking about what a wonderful meetup in Golders Green that was. I loved what Hani said - something like, sometimes you find yourself with old friends, even though meeting them for the first time. That's what it felt like.

Mick Imlah is a great find, and I'm looking forward to reading your other recommendations as well.

I'll pass on your love to Debbi, and please give ours to Hani. What a pleasure to finally meet her.

Such wonderful pictures as your thread topper , Joe! :) My sister and her husband are also winding up their trip in London. They've been to the Tower of London, seen the Crown Jewels, Buckingham Palace, a cruise on the Thames and purchased tickets to " Mama Mia" which my sister said on facebook " I hope we like it" with the sound of fear. We are very pedestrian in our tastes in my family :)

>135 vancouverdeb: Aren't those great thread-topping pics, Deb? Maybe our best ever.

Ha! We have done those things, except "Mama Mia". It's one of the advantages of coming back here. We still go back to Trafalgar Square every trip - Madame MBH loves the buskers and the vibe, with folks from all over the world there.

The travel day begins - must finish the last bits of packing. Have a bonnie day - wait, did I get the countries screwed up again?

The travel day begins - must finish the last bits of packing. Have a bonnie day - wait, did I get the countries screwed up again?

P.S Woo-hoo! The rarely sighted double post! I hear they're good luck. :-)

Wishing you and Madam MBH safe travels Joe.

Safe travels back home, Debbi and Joe! Good luck reclaiming your home from Becca and Sherlock.

I'll have to keep The Gate in mind on my next visit to London, especially as a place to dine before a play at the Almeida Theatre.

Thanks again for another fabulous and fun filled trip to our favorite city. Same time next year?

>139 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. Great to see you again this visit.

We're waiting at Heathrow for our flight to Toronto, from which we'll fly to Chicago.

>140 kidzdoc: Ha! Thanks, Darryl. You're right, both Becca and Sherlock may be reluctant to give up the house. Plus we've been hearing stories of the several keggers book club meetings Becca threw while we were gone. It may be a shambles by the time we get there.

Yes, The Gate is quite close to Angel Station, and the food was excellent. Nice place to spend time, too.

It was a fun and fabulous trip, wasn't it? You're on - same time next year. :-) Have a great few days in Paris, buddy. We'll look forward to following your adventures there.

Safe travels home, Joe!

>142 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

Have a safe return home, Joe. Hope it goes smoothly, my friend.

>144 msf59: Thanks, Mark. It'll be a long one - we fly to Toronto, have a 4 hour layover, then fly to Chicago. But Becca is happy - it gives her more time after work to clean up the house. :-)

One thing we have plenty of is books - we're coming back with 30 new ones, a new record for us. I'm near the end of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (excellent) and looking forward to starting the new one by the woman who wrote Strange Weather in Tokyo, Hiromi Kawakami.

Only 30 books?! Slackers.

>146 kidzdoc:. How many did you end up with, Darryl? If we knew your number, we would've gotten more. :-)

We're home!

Heckuva long travel day, but we've slept, and are getting sorted. Sherlock and his non-furry sidekick are being very helpful.

Welcome home, Joe! Happy Saturday, my friend. Glad you made it back safely and I hope you can unwind a bit, before your return to the grind.

>150 jnwelch: Thanks, Mark! We arrived home about 2 am London time, 8 pm here. Then we chatted with Sherlock and his mom for a while. But that had the advantage of getting us back closer to the right sleeping rhythm here, and we're feeling better than we expected today.

Laundry and mail are two biggies today. This reasonably cool weather is a plus. Happy Saturday, and I hope yours goes well.

OK, here's a photo of the London meetup at Strada restaurant on the South Bank before we all went to "The Threepenny Opera". Clockwise from bottom are Darryl, Joe, Debbi and Rhian (SandDune). Rhian's husband Alan joined us at the end of dinner, and Genny Tunbridge, an LTer, joined Darryl, Rhian and Alan at the play.

OK, here's most of the London and Rye book haul for moi. Mozart and Shakespeare just happened to stop by.



These two should've been in the pile. Seven Brief Lessons was excellent, and I'm enjoying The Nakano Thrift Shop so far. Loved her Strange Weather in Tokyo.

Love that Kawakami cover - like a piece of art. I've not come across the author so look forward to hearing more.

Glad to hear you are having a better day today than anticipated too. What a bonus.

>154 charl08: She's a wonderful writer, Charlotte. Try Strange Weather in Tokyo, aka The Briefcase. It's one I loved.

I love that cover, too. It is a piece of art, isn't it.

Yes, as you know, the jet lag can be tough, but so far we're doing a lot better than we expected. We successfully got daughter Becca and that furry guy moved back into her place, too.

Street artist David Zinn reading with some of his creations at the Ann Arbor Book Fair.

>156 jnwelch: love the street art Joe. Hope you and Debbi have recovered after your journey. It was great to spend some time with you both, this visit.

I'm two-thirds through His Bloody Project and will probably finish it tonight. Liking it, but just not sure why it stands out as a Booker shortlist book, for me, despite being well written, it isn't quite original enough (unless there is an unpredictable twist at the end).

Another one loving on the street art, especially the blue guy.

>156 jnwelch: Glad you are safe home, with books. And ZINN!

Welcome home after a quite wonderful vacation! I hope your transition is an easy one.

Thanks for BB The Nakano Thrift Shop .... Loved the last book as well

welcome home, Prop. :-)

Ah the joys of international travel - especially flying on points. But you made it in one piece and so did your books and the memories of a wonderful time in England. Glad to see you back.

>157 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. Glad you're enjoying the street art. It was such a pleasure for Debbi and I to spend time with you again. We're already looking forward to next year.

We're recovering A-OK. Both of us were up in the middle of the night, but we got back to sleep.

I'll be reading His Bloody Project soon. Our landlady said she and Burnet had quite a celebration when it made the shortlist. The remarkable news is it's reportedly outselling the other Booker listees by a wide margin. The author has had no money, she tells us, so this is going to make quite a difference in his life.

>158 Morphidae: Ah, good to hear, Morphy. If you like the blue guy, look for more Zinn street art online. He's created a bunch of appealing characters.

>159 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! Thanks, Linda. Well put. We're indeed home with lots of books and ZINN!

>160 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. Great trip, and we're kinda sorta glad to be home. We love our place here, but what a trip. Hard to part ways with it.

>161 roundballnz: You're welcome, Alex. Great to have a fellow appreciator of Strange Weather in Tokyo. So far I'm liking this new one.

>162 mirrordrum: Thanks, Pate. :-)

>163 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Yeah, you got it. Using our accumulated miles (points) to fly makes for a sometimes circuitous journey. Wonderful memories, we're safely back with everything intended, and it's nice to be here. You may find me a bit grumpy tomorrow, as work resumes, but Madame MBH will be sure to remind me of the fun we just had. :-)

More David Zinn for Morphy and other enthusiasts.

Love the scientist.

The publishing house for His Bloody Project are also going to have to deal with significant change after this book - they are tiny.

Hey Joe! Welcome home! I hope the fun and memories don't vanish when tomorrow's alarm clock goes off. That sidewalk art is awesome although such good artistry is so short lived, I would think.

Nice book hauls too!

Green Dragon!

>168 charl08: Isn't the scientist great, Charlotte?

I love stories like this one with His Bloody Project and an impoverished author and tiny publisher. Makes me think of Tinkers a few years ago. I'm pretty sure his publisher was tiny, too?

>169 Carmenere: Hey Lynda! Thanks!

I don't use an alarm clock, so this should be interesting tomorrow. Can I get up early enough after being on a 6 hours later internal clock in London? Probably I'll get up too early. :-)

We're still smiling from the memories. A Customs inspector made a show of being quite surprised at the difference between me in person and me in my passport photo - she laughed and said I look much younger in person. I suspect that was the vacation effect (combined with the traditional awfulness of passport photos!)

The chalk-drawn sidewalk art has to be ephemeral - some time I'll research whether he does anything to try to preserve it. It reminds me of the Ray Bradbury story of the man walking the beach who finds that Picasso has drawn a masterpiece in the sand, but the tide is coming in . . .

>170 Morphidae: Ha! Nice one, Morphy! He brings a lot of joy, doesn't he.

Whoo, somehow we just had a very productive writing session at the neighborhood cafe. I'll try to remember to post a Joe poem later today or more likely tomorrow.

I just read a Neil Gaiman book about making art that I recommend to anyone who's interested in that topic and hasn't read it online. Actually, I also recommend it to those who've read it, or heard him give it, online, as the graphic presentation by Chip Kidd adds to the impact of what he says.

It's Fantastic Mistakes: Neil Gaiman's 'Make Good Art' Speech, and it's the speech he gave to the "University of the Arts" class of 2012.

b

Lots of inspiring advice, and I loved this directive, excerpted in part on the back cover:

"Husband runs off with a politician?

- Make good art

Legs crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor?

- Make good art

IRS on your trail?

- Make good art

Someone on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid or evil or it's all been done before?

- Make good art

Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn't matter. Do what you do best.

- Make good art

Make it on the good days, too."

Welcome home Welches and thanks so much for giving us such tantalizing looks at your travels. I asked my husband why we've never been to Rye and he says he never thought of going. What draws you folks back there so often?

Also, highlights of my visits to UK bookstores have been comparing the different cover art of books I'm familiar with here. They're seldom the same covers and I'm often intrigued by the differences. Did you find that too?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Glad you and Debbi made it safely home.

>151 jnwelch: Thanks for sharing the restaurant meetup picture, I followed your travels mostly on FB.

The David Zinn pictures made me smile :-)

>174 NarratorLady: Thanks, Anne.

That was our first trip to Rye. We wanted to do something different outside London, reachable for a day trip. We've been to Jane Austen country (Hampshire), the Cotswolds, Bath, and so on. Up ahead we've got on our list: Lyme Regis, Cambridge (we've been to Oxford), Brighton (an LTer's sister lives there), Canterbury, and Stratford-on-Avon. And I want somehow to get to Hay-on-Wye.

Yes, we love the differences in the UK book covers versus the U.S. Like you, I'm intrigued by the apparent psychology underlying the designs for the different markets. Often I prefer the U.K. ones.

Our Dame Agatha-phile daughter had us get her the Sophie Hannah Hercules Poirots in London, so she can have the Brit covers as well as the American ones.

Nice Sunday it's been, for sure. Hope yours has been, too.

>175 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita.

I'm glad you could follow our adventures and the meetups on FB. It takes a few steps to get the photos posted here. I'll try to do a few more tomorrow. I wish we could've had Alan and Genny in the Strada one, but their schedules had them arriving late.

David Zinn's art has the same effect on me - a lot of smiles. He deserves kudos for having that effect on so many people. There aren't that many street artists with a sense of whimsy.

>151 jnwelch: Great Meet-Up photo!

>153 jnwelch: Nice book haul. Glad to see The Secret River on there and I LOVE seeing the Max Porter book on there. That one is special.

Happy Sunday, my friend. I hope you got in plenty of R & R today.

Welcome home, Joe. I'm just lurking.

>176 jnwelch: I don't know where I got the idea that this was a return trip to Rye for you and Debbi. I've been to most of the other places you've mentioned but not Hay-on-Wye. What's the attraction?

I had never heard of Sophie Hannah but coincidentally, tomorrow I'm wrapping up narrating her psychological thriller A Game for All the Family which unfortunately I can't recommend. Good writing but screwy plot. But her bio did mention that the Christie estate gave their blessing to her Poirot books. Maybe I'll give one a try.

Loving all the stories of your travels. So glad you had such a great time and love the sidewalk art and meet-up photos. Tell us how your internal alarm clock works after the time change...!

Morning, Joe! Love the Gaiman love, of course!

>177 msf59: Hiya, Mark! That was a fun dinner meet-up, and quite a play (The Threepenny Opera) afterwards.

I remembered you liked Grief is a Thing with Feathers, and Caroline (I'm pretty sure it was her) was a proponent, too. The Secret River was another LT pick; I've been seeing positives here about it for what seems like years now.

We did have a good R & R Sunday. Looked like you were having a great camping trip!

>178 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. We welcome lurkers here. :-)

>182 jnwelch: was that the NTLive performance of Three Penny Opera? We were already committed to seeing other stuff this weekend, but hope to catch it later on.

>179 NarratorLady: Hi, Anne. Yeah, Rye was a first-timer for us. Hay-on-Wye is Wales' "National Book Town", with a lot of bookstores in a little village, and home of a famous (to book nerds) literary festival. Here's a bit on it on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay-on-Wye . I'm a bit worried that the number of bookstores is going down (as mentioned in the article), and the festival seems to be becoming more polished than I'd like. But I still want to get there.

Plus, given my last name, I figure I have some ancestors in Wales, and I've never been there. (The ancestor I know about, my great-grandfather, was a sailor and came over from Pilsden, England. My father tells me we also have some Irish and come from the McFarland clan in Scotland).

Somewhere in the past I read a Sophie Hannah book, but nothing recently. Our daughter did enjoy her two Hercule Poirot books, and she's read everything Agatha.

>180 Berly: Thanks, Kim. It was a grand time, it was. Madame MBH convinced me to diminish the worry about getting up early, and set the alarm on my phone. But my internal clock ended up waking me 10 minutes before the alarm, so it's still working. That also had the benefit of not waking Madame MBH, who could use some more post-trip slumber.

I'll try to get a few more photos over here today.

>181 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I know you're a Gaiman fan, too. Track this one down - he talks about how he started out and got to where he is, among other things.

You're also artistic - this will be quite inspiring to anyone with that inclination, methinks.

>182 jnwelch: I wouldn't be surprised if this performance of The Threepenny Opera (pronounced "thrippinny", as Rhian explained to us) is on NT Live. It's got Rory Kinnear and Rosalie Craig in it, among others. It is bizarre and aggressive and worthwhile. I wouldn't have any youngsters nearby. :-)

Pumpkin donuts

And I'll take that big one on the right!! Thanks. : )

>187 Berly: Ha! You got it, Kim. :-)

Just dropping in to say I love Sophie Hannah-I've really enjoyed the books of hers I've read so far.

>182 jnwelch: yes, I certainly rate Grief is a thing with Feathers.

Hmmm, I have a Sophie Hannah in the tbr pile, I've been thinking lately I should nudge it up the pile.

Hope your day is going well Joe.

Love >189 jnwelch:, might make myself one of those!

ETA: >164 jnwelch: my thoughts on His Bloody Project are here:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/211101#5741106

>190 seasonsoflove: You look familiar, young lady. :-) Good to hear the Sophie Hannah love.

>191 Caroline_McElwee: I thought so, Caroline, thanks. I'm looking forward to reading Grief is a Thing with Feathers.

The day is going well; co-workers are catching me up on the events that occurred in my absence, and I've made a dent in the pile of mail (I kept up with email, but hard copy mail still turns up in bunches).

Isn't >189 jnwelch: on-target? Warning: Readers here.

I'll link on over and read your comments on His Bloody Project.

P.S. Good review! I'm looking forward to reading it, and this may be one our daughter would like, too.

>189 jnwelch: Love it!

Morning Joe! I hope you are getting back into the groove. I know it is never easy.

>192 jnwelch: Isn't that a good one, Mark?

Morning! Thanks, buddy. I'm digging out from under. Thank goodness I kept up on the emails while we were gone.

Hope your day is going well. I'll stop by shortly and catch up.

Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well with you.

I am enjoying the David Zinn. the drawings are light and humorous with pastels!

>182 jnwelch: Yep, I'm that cute as a lurker.

>195 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie!

All is well. Glad you're enjoying the David Zinn art. Yes, he has a distinctive light and humorous touch, doesn't he?

>196 EBT1002: Ha! I know this to be true, Ellen. :-)

>198 jnwelch: Maybe this is my problem this morning. Twelve days of vacation and only five or six of reading. Something is missing. :-P

Hey Joe. Are there any of those doughnuts left? I've never had a doughnut like that but I'm willing to experiment. Failing that, churros...

I've got the sequel to Girl Waits with Gun . I hope this series runs and runs...

>199 brodiew2: :-)

>200 charl08: Mmm, churros. Let's do both, Charlotte.

Oh, I look forward to your thoughts on the sequel on GWWG. I sure liked that first one.

Here you go:

Now I'm craving doughnuts/donuts.

hiya Joe. groovin' on the Zin. glad you're home and recovering.

in re: The spirit catches you and you fall down, i can't recommend it highly enough. i realize that my background in the social sciences and interest in medical ethics and ethical issues in general helped. it also seemed applicable to so many current issues, including our huge political and social disconnects. i've been thinking about the difficulty of communication between people with radically different world views.

many of us operate from completely different paradigms and when two people do that, they literally don't view the same world. maybe you know Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions? or not. one of the classic examples of the Kuhn paradigm thingy is one of those optical illusion images that can be seen as an old woman or a young woman. if you're stuck in one of those ways of viewing, you can't see the other.

anyhoo, reading Fadiman's in-depth look at cross-cultural (or cross-paradigm) interaction, i realize that to talk meaningfully to a Trump supporter, say, i'd probably need someone to help me not only approach the person but to "translate" so i could understand. i've really been trying to do that and the book was helpful in making me see my own immovable constructs. anyway, it's Fadiman and it's excellent.

should be starting Lab girl soon. :-)

>203 mirrordrum: I don't have any of that background and absolutely adored The Spirit Catches You and We All Fall Down.

Good Tuesday morning, Joe. Second day of the "work" week, eh?

>203 mirrordrum: Interesting, especially after having watched the debate on TV last night with a small group from the retirement community. I think we were close to, if not right on, everyone being a Hillary supporter. I'm glad we did not have to try to politely and tactfully talk to a Trump supporter. I'm very nervous about this election, but otherwise... life is good!

Welcome back to the "real" world, or is it?

I'm nearly finished with Empire of the Summer Moon for the book group I am with Ellen in enjoying. Next book for them is A God in Ruins. I'm feeling a bit better about the reading, while being easily distracted, even though I am finishing the Summer Moon book after the meeting. Hopefully, I'll finish the God book before the next meeting.

Hope your reentry is not too jarring. Find a corner and read!

>202 thornton37814: I know, Lori. Ain't it grand?

>203 mirrordrum: I did read Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions when I was a young whelp, Ellie, but I don't think I could pass a quiz on it today. Great to hear your enthusiasm for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. I have it, and have even picked it up to start it, but it just wasn't the right time.

Thanks for the thoughtful post. I like your ideas about our not seeing the same world, and that the difference in views can be so strong that a "translator" might be needed. Trump is a good example; I can't imagine anyone buying into his con job, and yet, apparently, a large percentage of the U.S. does. The construct of those who do seems to contain a large measure of distrust and dislike for politicians, and that part I guess I can understand.

Anyway, you convinced me. I've got a daunting queue of books in front of me, but I'll move that one up to asap.

BTW, Hidden Figures just arrived, so that will be my next one after I finish The Nakano Thrift Shop.

>204 Morphidae: Great to hear, Morphy. You read a ton, but don't often say you absolutely adored a book. I'm not sure what to do about the queue issue, but I'm looking forward to reading The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Her Ex Libris: Confessions was an absolute adore for me.

>205 maggie1944: Good morning, Karen! So glad we can say "Tuesday" and not the one that comes before it.

I don't know if I could've stood watching the debate with a vocal Trump supporter. It's hard not to get angry every time I think of him. Hillary did a good job of keeping her composure.

Is this the real world? Great question to ask in our virtual cafe. :-)

I've seen a number of positive comments about Empire of the Summer Moon. Sounds like you're enjoying it. I really want to get to A God in Ruins at some point. I was quite taken by Life After Life.

I am getting in some good reading on the commute. I like The Nakano Thrift Shop so far; I'm less taken with Zen City, which has an intriguing premise (people trying to up their game to get into a gated city full of enlightened folk), but seems executed haphazardly.

Didn't read too much last night, although I did finish The Crypt Thief, which was good enough that I'll try another in this Hugo Marston mystery/thriller series.

Morning Joe! I am enjoying my final vacation of the year, with plenty of R & R. We take a quick jaunt to Texas, on Thursday, for a long weekend. Friends have recently moved to Austin. We are attending the Austin City Limits Fest on Sunday. Should be a blast.

>208 msf59: Morning Mark!

Nice! I've heard lots of good things about Austin, and we've enjoyed Austin City Limits music on the tube. "Plenty of R & R" always sounds good to me.

>206 jnwelch: It's true. And I think it's because of that very thing - I read SO many books. Most books are average - between 2006 and 2015 I averaged 3 to 3.5 stars. During that time only 65 out of 2,408 got 4.5 or 5 stars. On the other end, 29 got 1 or 1.5 stars. (I DNF .5 star books.) The vast majority of books got 3.5 stars (973), with 3 star (534) and 4 star (533) ratings being even. There's a definite bell curve involved.

1) For those who have to know the rest of the numbers: 2 stars - 76, 2.5 stars - 198
2) I actually use a 1 - 10 star rating but I know LT people use 1 - 5 so I converted.

Good morning, Joe! I hope your day is going well. No real updates on the reading front, but I thought I might as if you watched 'Designated Survivor' last week? I have enjoyed Kiefer Sutherland over the years and I think this one looks good.

>210 Morphidae: Woo, thanks for the stats, Morphy. That fits my broad take, but the high ratings are even rarer for you than I thought. If I did the math right, less than 3% get 4.5 or 5 star ratings from you. You're a tough grader! But that makes your adoration of The Spirit Catches You stand out even more. I'm on it.

>211 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie!

You know, I was a bit of a reluctant watcher of "Designated Survivor", but only because we have a number of tv shows we're going to be following (Orphan Black, Longmire, Poldark, and Lucifer among them), and I wasn't eager to add another. (Hard enough to preserve reading time!) Having said that, our daughter said she'd been reluctant for the same reason, but that we should watch the opener, as it was really good. As usual, she was right. Now, we can't wait to see what he tells the country after the first episode's events.

Anne and I were talking about our trip to Rye in East Sussex, a charming little village that used to be surrounded by the sea and still has a harbor. There are a number of medieval structures there, like the Ypres Tower, built in 1249 to protect the town from the French. The first two photos involve Saint Mary's church there. You can climb up to the roof (lots of ladders and steps and tight spots to squeeze through - I had to take off my backpack to get through a couple of times). So the first photo is of Madame MBH on the roof, the second is one of the lovely views from the roof, and the last is Madame MBH looking up one of the cobblestone streets.

>212 jnwelch: See, I think most people over-grade. A 4.5 or 5 star *should* be rare. How else can you point out a book that is special? Most books are average, as are many things in life. Not everything can be "great" or "exceptional." There's nothing wrong with being "good." A 3 or 3.5 for me is a good, but not exceptional read.

I think the Amazon rating system is partially (mostly?) to blame for this. There was an article I once read about how the Amazon star rating system has skewed our expectations about what the different star ratings mean (i.e. 3 stars is bad, 4 stars is average, etc.) but I can't find it. I wish I could, it was very interesting.

>214 Morphidae: Yup, I'd admit to being generous with stars. For most books (unless it's really awful) I'm thinking about the gal or guy who sat with the ms for months/ years... I think this is twitter's fault for making authors much more visible as people!

I'm generous up to 4*s, but to get 4.5 a book has to work hard. Very few get 5*s until they've survived a reread, except the occasional art book.

>214 Morphidae: Guilty as charged, Morph. I definitely over-grade. But I have been doing it for so long it is tough to change. Using the .point system has eased me out of it somewhat. At least, the folks that follow my ratings have a fairly good idea where I stand in most of my grades or I sure hope so.

>214 Morphidae: I was just thinking, Morphy, that I naturally go higher. I like your idea that a 4.5 star or 5 star should be rare and, actually, I suppose I do give out relatively few of those. That's really an exceptional book when we get up that high. Evicted is there for me this year (my Book of the Year so far), War and Peace and When Breath Becomes Air. But not many more. So, thinking it through, I probably follow your thinking more than I originally thought. But if I feel friendly toward the book (had a good time with it), I lean toward a 4, which sometimes probably is a bit high.

I believe that happens with Amazon. If a book has a significant number of reviews and they average out to three stars, I'm thinking the book has gotten a fairly ho-hum reaction. I also wish Amazon would allow half-stars.

>215 charl08: Ha! Good point, Charlotte. I also have a lot of sympathy for the writers. It's so much easier to nitpick and be a critic than to create something noteworthy. Plus coal to heat the garret can be expensive.

>215 charl08: That fits me, too, Caroline, except I rarely rate an art book. Maybe a survey book like Janson's.

>217 msf59: It's hard to be "mean" to well-intentioned books, Mark, right? Plus you are a reader of high quality ones - you don't often go into genre reading or pet reads that make little sense to others. You're usually dipping into the tops of the reading charts, or ones heading that way, or ones by highly respected authors, so I'm not surprised you give them high grades.

Your thumbs up can definitely influence me, and have many times, but your thumbs down carry an even more powerful whack as far as I'm concerned.

Wow! Thanks for all the support, my friend. LOL. You know I probably sound ridiculous when I say I generally read above average books but I sheepishly admit to that. If a book does come in at an average or below average rating I am somewhat disappointed. Funny, I have been accused of "liking" everything but when I look back, I see very few regrets. I guess, I will just carry on...

>220 msf59: Crap, sometimes I forget to be a jerk. My bad.

Yeah, seems to me you're in a good groove. And we all get the benefit, so your just carrying on works well. The hard part, of course, is we all have staggeringly big tbrs, and you keep coming up with hard-to-resist gems. I guess you're not the only source of that problem on LT, but there's an awful lot of warbling that comes from your part of the woods. (Warbling "gems" is a pretty mixed metaphor, so I'd better stop there).

There is no doubt that the 75ers raise my reading consciousness, but I still like my genre titles and some of the more popular authors. I enjoy reading mostly as an escape which is my interest lean more toward adventure, sf, and humor to an extent. Reading some of the classics of American literature can be hard duty when not required in a classroom or for specific discussion. That's not to say I won't 'dabble in the drama' from time to time.

>221 jnwelch: I don't think being a jerk, fits the Mr. Joe we know and adore. Seriously, I appreciate the kind words.

And we all take our BB strikes, like the good biblio-soldiers we are. I have a small stack from the library, that are all recommendations. Trying to muscle and squeeze them into the rotation.

I am back into Madam Bovary, after setting it aside for a few days. I like it, but it is no Middlemarch.

I am loving my current poetry collection, Bright Dead Things. This one is right up there with Exit Wounds, which I recently purchased to own. I think you would like it too. I will be sharing something on the poetry thread.

>222 brodiew2: "Dabbling in the drama" is where you can usually find this guy! Grins...

>224 msf59: I thought you might like the phrase, Mark. :-)

#206
Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down was a required book for the Master's in Curriculum and Instruction students a few years ago. I have a copy of it but have not read it yet. The students all said that it was a great book and they learned so much from reading it.

hiya Joe.

>206 jnwelch: goodness knows, it's complicated. i do know people are frightened and not having been tested by internal strife since the civil war, i think we've gotten soft and timid. except for the military. also, Trump reminds me of Palin on steroids with testosterone and very short fingers. part of his charm is that he doesn't know very much and yet he appears very self-assured. as folks keep saying, he voices their fears and he promises quick fixes and like Palin, he talks a good fight. i dunno.

>213 jnwelch: i snitched that middle pic of Rye, or one similar, w/ the roofses from FB to see if it was large enough for me to throw Photoshop at. it.

>179 NarratorLady: hullo Anne. i often wonder how narrator people manage to narrate books they don't like. you did such a good job on a couple that i know you disliked but it doesn't come through at all. hope all's well and that you had some nice summer reading.

>210 Morphidae: >214 Morphidae: excellent, Morphy. most helpful. i have consciously skewed my grading b/c, based on others' grades, i know that i rarely like books that score at 3 or 3.5 aaaaand that's possibly b/c of the skewed grading curve. i found The spirit catches you to be exceptional and i think on any scale would have given it the highest rank.

before i toddle off, Joe, i'll just take a look at one of those churros and make myself a cuppa Keemun rose tea with frothed milk to drink whilst i examine it very closely. i think maybe i'll look at 2. larger sampling size is better. :-)

>222 brodiew2: Can I say all reading is good reading, Brodie? I suppose there are exceptions. But that's the idea. You know I like my genre reading and pet reads, too. Sci-fi and fantasy have always been on the menu for me. I see some authors interviewed in the New York Times Book Review proudly say they've never read a science fiction or fantasy book like that's a badge of honor and I think, what the heck is the matter with you? Bradbury, Verne, Cormac McCarthy, Atwood, LeGuin, Vonnegut, Murakami, and on and on. Same story with mysteries and thrillers. Pet (favorite oddball) books, hmm, well, I do get some takers on the Roland Merullo Breakfast with Buddha books, but not many.

I do like the heavier stuff, too, of course (and Atwood and McCarthy, among others, sure bring the heavy in their "sci-fi"). I just have always needed variety in my book reading diet. That was very useful when I worked in bookstores, as I could help just about anyone looking for a good read.

>223 msf59: Aw, shucks, Mark. All true, it is. And thanks a lot for shooting down my lifelong ambition to be a complete jerk. I guess I'll just go back to slinging virtual food at a cafe.

"Madame Bovary, I knew Middlemarch. Middlemarch was a friend of mine. Madame Bovary, you are no Middlemarch." Wasn't that what Lloyd Bentsen said in the VP debate?

I'm still amazed you found and loved Ocean Vuong's Exit Wounds. He's as new on the scene as anyone I can think of. Very cool. Looking forward to hearing more about Bright Dead Things. New to me.

>224 msf59:, >225 brodiew2: "Dabbling in the drama" - I like that, too. So, you're dabbling in the drama again, Mark?

>226 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. The students' positive reaction to The Spirit Catches You and all they learned from it fits every comment I've ever heard/read about this book. It's in my future.

>227 mirrordrum: Hiya, Ellie.

I understand folks being frustrated with our current political environment. Personally, I'd lay the blame on obstructionists like Mitch McConnell. And we keep getting more and more good news about what Obama has done for us. But regardless of that, if I wanted to make a protest, I wouldn't look to a blowhard spoiled brat con man as my savior. Did you see how many times he interrupted Hillary? Thank goodness she handled it well. Arggh. I want that guy to languish in the dust bin of history asap.

Yes, that roofsies pic in >213 jnwelch: is the same one as was on FB. People liked it, so I brought it over. I hope you can do something with Photoshop. I'd enjoy seeing that.

Yeah, I hadn't thought about Anne narrating ones she doesn't like. I can easily imagine that she pulls it off with professional verve. I also imagine she can't really tell us which were clunkers in her opinion, but it sure would be interesting to hear.

Hmm. Good point about the book grading. If I give a 3 or 3.5, I'm really thinking, I didn't hate this, but there's no need for you to read it. Higher means I liked it a lot and hope you do read it. Five stars means this one is really special, really outstanding.

For some series, a 3 or 3.5 would mean those engrossed in the series will want to read it, but it's a lesser entry.

Looks like you already have a most excellent beverage of your choice. The churros seem to be disappearing in all the well-intended sampling going on, so here are some more, with chocolate sauce for thems that want it:

"So, you're dabbling in the drama again, Mark?" Duh, of course...grins.

Morning Joe! Your Lloyd Bentsen mash-up, gave me my first big chuckle of the A.M., so thank you.

I also have to read The Spirit Catches You. I have had it on shelf forever.

We were lucky to get tickets (through a charity we help) to last night's opening of Hamilton. Based on the Chernow book, it is an amazing piece of work. There is hardly any "dialogue", it's all music, including rap. What an amazing piece of work. Did I already say that? So smart, and such beautiful, intelligent music.

A quintessentially American story.

"How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar?

The ten-dollar founding father without a father got a lot farther by working a lot harder, by being a lot smarter, by being a self-starter, by fourteen, they placed him in charge of a trading charter."

This is a new cast. Miguel Cervantes ably stepped in as Hamilton (Madame Mbh and seasonsoflove think his voice is better than Lin-Manuel's), and Joshua Henry was superb as Aaron Burr. Tony winner Karen Olivo was excellent as Angelica Schuyler. To me, Miss America finalist and American Idol-ist Ari Asfar is young and needs a bit of growing into the part of Eliza Schuyler, but she certainly has the chops, and I may have been the only one who thought that.



Miguel Cervantes and Karen Olivo

We've seen a lot of musicals. This is the best musical we've ever seen. Phenomenal. What an amazing piece of work. We loved every minute of it.

Here are the lyrics, for those interested: https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fwarnermusicgroup.app.box.com%2Fs%2F9...

We were advised to listen to the music before going, and that was good advice. The show moves very fast, and it's very complex. And so worth it.

>231 msf59: Ha! Who ever thought we'd be saying the words "Lloyd Bentsen mash-up", Mark? I'm glad you got a chuckle out of that.

You and me both re The Spirit Catches You. There's enough going on right now, but down the line, maybe we should do a group read? I know Infinite Jest is probably coming up early next year, but maybe some time after that? Or maybe just an informal one, like we did with Seven Killings.

>233 jnwelch: It's been quite a while since I've read it and would love a re-read. There's enough meat in it to encourage a group read.

>234 Morphidae: Sounds good to me, Morphy. Let's stay in touch on it as we get near the turn of the year.

>232 jnwelch: Very envious of your Hamilton outing. I hope to see a production before too long.

Good morning, Joe! 'Cold-Blooded Boredom' is just the snort I need to get me going. I hope all is well with you.

>228 jnwelch: Agreed, Joe. Most (not all) of the drama I of my contemporary literature will be on audio unless there is 'high warbling' such as with Plainsong. I expect to read this in 2017. It is on the early list for next year. I might even try Underground Railroad, but may, instead opt for Song yet Sung. I greatly enjoyed McBride's Miracle at St. Anna. I hope I'm not repeating myself. This post feels familiar. :-P

Good morning, Joe! I'm glad that you, Debbi & Becca were able to see Hamilton, and that you enjoyed it that much. It will come to Atlanta in the spring, and I'll be sure to see it.

Add my name to the list of people who loved The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It's one of only a small handful of books that I've read multiple times, and it's a book that is widely read by health professions students in the US.

Good news: I found out from Mark (@thorold) from Club Read that Robert Seethaler's novel The Tobacconist will be published in English translation in the US and UK next month. Mark, who I met in Leiden in June, reads in multiple languages, including German, and he has read and enjoyed this novel, along with A Whole Life.

I am so glad you guys loved Hamilton! I would sure like to see that one. Sounds fantastic.

>236 jnwelch: Like!

Stop over at the poetry thread. I added some things from Bright Dead Things. I am crazy about it.

>237 Oberon: Thanks, Erik. Yes, go see Hamilton when you can! So good. What a night of theater that was.

>238 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie. I'm glad we got your day started with a good snort. :-)

Plainsong and The Underground Railroad sound like the makings of an excellent reading time. I read McBride's The Color of Water and liked it very much, but I haven't read others by him.

>239 kidzdoc: Hey, Darryl. Welcome back to Les Etats Unis!

You're going to love Hamilton when it gets to Atlanta. Extraordinary. I feel really fortunate to be alive in this time - Miranda is a genius.

Woo, thanks for that info on The Spirit Catches You. I don't remember your mentioning any other book you've read multiple times, and I had no idea that it's widely read by health professions students. I'm getting more and more inspired.

That's great news re The Tobacconist, including that Mark/thorold enjoyed it.

>240 weird_O: You're living up to your LT name, Bill. Excellent example of weird art. :-)

>241 msf59: I hope you get to Hamilton, Mark. You'd eat it up with a spoon. I actually think every LTer should see it, unless they're adverse to rap and hip-hop. There are plenty of other music genres in the show (it's nonstop music, really), but those are prominent enough that they probably would cause dislikers to . . . dislike. Even then, if it's not a strong dislike, I'd recommend it. That's what I did with a friend in his late 70s.

I'll get over to the poetry thread. As you probably can tell, I'm still catching up with LT folks, but I'll look forward to seeing what you've posted from Bright Dead Things. Great to hear your enthusiasm.

Stopping by to say hi , Joe and welcome home!I'm glad you enjoyed the The Irish Country Doctor. It's nice to just read something for pure enjoyment. I try to read a bit of " highbrow stuff" and then read a bit of plain old fun , like my Flavia addiction. I'd say all books are good books, just depending on one's taste. I'm currently reading Born on a Tuesday which takes place in Nigeria and gives one an idea of how young boys/ men get caught up in radicalized Islam, via poverty. After I finish that , I might pull off a book about Canadian First Nations people and the prejudice that many face, or I might have to disappear into a cozy mystery. I like to mix it up to keep myself on an even keel :)

>227 mirrordrum: Hi Ellie! The narrator biz is most difficult when assigned a series I don't care for. But when it's a single book I just remember that someone wanted to read this and it's my job to make it as enjoyable/interesting as possible. Of course when I love the book, well I probably would do it for free - but don't tell anyone. BTW The Spirit Catches You has been on my radar for a while and is creeping up the list thanks to you.

>232 jnwelch: Joe, isn't it enough that your trip to the UK had me green with envy...now you tell me you've seen Hamilton too? I have Hamilton: The Revolution which includes the libretto which I'm sure I'll have memorized by the time it comes to Boston next year. Meanwhile, Alan Ayckbourn's "Bedroom Farce" is coming here in time for my December birthday, so guess who's been heavily hinting for tickets?

>187 Berly: Joe, you are the king of graphics and illustrations. I love visiting here.

i can't keep up, Joe. Hamilton, wow! i rejoice for you.

>243 jnwelch: >239 kidzdoc: i rather think it should be required reading. JB was a medical social worker in a NICU and, being an Appalachian mountain woman, also served as translator for mountain/rural poor w/ NICU docs. same issues but including snake handling.

i have had to make a vow. takes a bite of churro and chews reflectively. sips tea. eyes chocolate speculatively. you visual types read too fast for me. i can't follow the trails you blaze without leaving whole shoals of books languishing in my wake. i must rely on my tympana and stop trying to keep up with the rest of you. this is a Good Thing. :-)

Good morning, everyone!

It's annual physical time, so today I go to get my blood tested, and tomorrow I see the doc. So I'll join you later this morning.

Good morning, Joe. Well wishes for the blood test.

I have finished the audio on Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. I liked it a lot. I will 50/50 credit to Mr. King and the multi-talented Will Patton for a stellar narration.

Sweet Thursday, Joe, despite annual physical time. needs must. hope all goes well.

me too doc. i have to go to the cancer store and let the vampires have a go at my blood and etc.

aren't we lucky to be able to afford medical care?

hope you took a good book.

>244 vancouverdeb: You're my kind of reader, Deb. I'm all over the place. Yes, I liked An Irish Country Doctor a lot, and I want to read more about events in Ballybucklebo. For some reason I didn't get caught by Flavia's charm, but our daughter sure did. Born on a Tuesday sounds like a challenging read.

I just started Hidden Figures, about the black female mathematicians at NASA, starting during WWII. So far, it's very good. I've also started Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, an author I've enjoyed before.

>245 NarratorLady: That makes sense for narrating, Anne. Maybe we can get you in on some sort of group read for The Spirit Catches You when the time comes.

>246 Whisper1: Oh good, Linda. We love having you come here!

We were a bit light on graphics whilst Madame MBH and I were across the pond, but we're getting back in the swing now. It's getting to be time for a new thread, too.

>247 mirrordrum: Thanks, Ellie. I'm not sure how we keep up, to tell you the truth. :-)

You'd love Hamilton. If you can get a hold of the sound recording, you'll get a big kick out of it. So clever. I was still thinking about it coming to work today, and I'm sure I will be for a while.

I'm convinced on The Spirit Catches You, and looking forward to reading it. same issues but including snake handling. Well, that will pop a body's eyes open in the morning, it will. Go JB!

I know picking out your reading can be like walking up and down the biggest and best smorgasbord imaginable, with tantalizing food everywhere. Where to start? How can we possibly eat all the delightful treats on there? How can we possibly eat all the dishes being recommended by others? I figure the key is to just pick ones you want to try, and enjoy them, and accept that you're never going to get to all of it. It's a great problem to have, right?

>249 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie. The young nurse (yes, I've reached that age - they're all "young"!) - was adept, and thinks we may have the results for my appointment tomorrow.

Good for you with Mr. Mercedes. I'm glad you liked it. I can't get any traction with Stephen King's books (did I just hear a horrified collective gasp in the cafe?), but I respect him. I have read a couple of his short stories I liked.

>250 mirrordrum: Sweet Thursday, Ellie! Thanks for reminding me - I forgot what a sweet day of the week this is.

Yikes, the cancer store is a lot tougher doc stop than mine. I'm glad at least the vampires have been doing some good.

Yes, being able to afford health care is huge. And dental care. Sweet Thursday, indeed.

Yes, I took two good books - Hidden Figures, which is probably right up your alley, and Carry On, by the author of Eleanor and Park, Fangirl, and others.